ELTA cuts stir political tension
The government faces a growing backlash over a plan to suspend operations at 204 Hellenic Post (ELTA) branches across Greece. The decision by ELTA’s management will be debated Tuesday in Parliament’s Committees on Economic Affairs and Production and Trade, after opposition parties demanded explanations.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/1285447/elta-cuts-stir-political-tension
One arrested, one detained in deadly Crete feud
Authorities have arrested one person and detained another as part of a large-scale police operation following a deadly attack in the village of Vorizia, near Iraklio on the southern island of Crete, which left two people dead and four injured on Saturday. The violence reportedly stemmed from a long-standing dispute between the Kargakis and Frangiadakis families over grazing lands, and officials fear the feud could continue.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1285555/deadly-family-feud-in-crete-leaves-2-dead-dozens-injured
New US Ambassador to Greece Guilfoyle to present credentials on Tuesday
The new US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, has been in Athens since Saturday. The first official engagement of her diplomatic term is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, when she will present her credentials to the President of the Hellenic Republic Constantine Tassoulas, at the Presidential Mansion. She will then meet with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis. Her diplomatic tenure is expected to be highlighted later this week at the Transatlantic Energy Forum in Athens, which will be attended by US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, US Secretary of State Doug Burgum, and twenty four European energy ministers.
Tourism revenues in first eight months of 2025 reach 16.7 billion euros
Greece’s tourism industry has had a remarkable run so far this year. From January to August 2025, the Bank of Greece estimates that tourism revenue almost reached 17 billion euros, about 2 billion more than at the same time last year. The number of visitors from abroad also increased, with arrivals rising by about 4 percent. That extra foot traffic helped boost travel earnings by 12 percent.
ATHEX: Series of monthly rises comes to an end
The Greek stock market ended October with minor daily losses, as well as a monthly decline of 1.92%, which put an end to a rising sequence of 11 consecutive months. Athinon Avenue is clearly unable to follow the record highs that major bourses across the northern hemisphere have registered over the last few days, and observers fear that the closing of books in November will signal the notable flight of a number of funds from the Athens market.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1285435/athex-series-of-monthly-rises-comes-to-an-end
SUNDAY PAPERS
KATHIMERINI: OPEKE farm subsidies: In between the grinding stones of Brussels and Thessaly
TO VIMA: Ankara’s comeback and the cards in the hands of Athens
REAL NEWS: Athens’ plan for superior weaponry in the Aegean Sea
PROTO THEMA: EU says “niet” to Russian gas via Athens
MONDAY PAPERS:
TA NEA: Vendeta in Creta’s Vorisia: how we ended up with a massacre
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Mr. Hatzidakis, you have registered mail
KONTRA NEWS: The government is gambling with farmers’ subsidies
DIMOKRATIA: Scandal at the expense of the Athenians
NAFTEMPORIKI: Black money worth 2,6 bln “caught” by state auditors
DRIVING THE DAY: BABIŠ PLANS LEAKED
LEAKED GOVT. PROGRAM — CZECHIA VS. EU GREEN RULES: Andrej Babiš, the populist mogul tasked with forming Czechia’s government, wants to derail EU plans for a new emissions trading system as his first big act on the European stage. That’s according to a leaked draft of his government’s program and a person familiar with his thinking.
The draft program, seen by Playbook, states that a Babiš government would “reject emission allowances, the so-called ETS2” in addition to reducing “distribution and transmission” fees, adding that “the Green Deal is unsustainable in its current form, which is why we will promote its fundamental revision.” (Babiš still needs to be formally nominated as prime minister by the Czech president.)
Ixnay on engine ban: The draft also reveals that a future Babiš government views an EU ban on the sale and production of cars with combustion engines from 2035 as “unacceptable,” and that “the European Union has its limits – it does not have the right to impose decisions on member states that interfere with their internal sovereignty.”
Why it’s important: European officials are braced for impact with the populist Babiš, who’s expected to make his big return to the Council table at the next gathering of EU leaders in Brussels on Dec. 18-19. Much of the fretting has focused on the potential for the Czech leader-to-be joining forces with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to block further aid for Ukraine as part of an anti-Kyiv bloc with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Teaming up with Tusk: But the program shows that Babiš, who is today expected to form a coalition with the far-right Motorists Party and nationalist/Euroskeptic SPD, is more focused on knocking down the EU’s Green agenda than undermining Ukraine (at least for now). There he may find an ally in Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who trumpeted his success in inserting a “revision clause” into the EU plans to extend a carbon-trading system at the Council gathering last month.
Look closer: The revision clause added by Tusk doesn’t explicitly threaten ETS2, which is due to come online in 2027 and covers emissions for buildings, road transport and smaller industries. Indeed, the conclusions agreed by leaders on Oct. 23 didn’t demand specific changes to climate legislation, even if EU countries have so far been unable to endorse a 2040 climate goal. (Ministers are due to cast a vote on the 2040 climate target on Tuesday, Zia Weise reports.)
Aiming at climate: But if Tusk teams up with Babiš the fragile EU consensus on climate could be in trouble. The Czech leader argues ETS2 legislation will “take too much money away from households,” said Milan Nic, an expert in Central and Eastern Europe at the German Council on Foreign Relations. “My prediction is that he will try to block the ETS2 … I think he will use his first European Council to announce a big veto on something.”
Visegrád comeback? It makes sense that Babiš would cozy up to Tusk, adds Nic. The leaked government program trumpets the “restoration and strengthening of damaged relations within the Visegrád Group” made up of Poland, Slovakia, Czechia and Hungary — in line with what a top aide to Orbán told POLITICO last week. But rather than hitch his wagon to Orbán, who faces a tough reelection battle next year, Babiš is looking to Poland as a potential ally at Council gatherings.
“He has this dream of renewing Visegrád and forming a joint line with Tusk,” said Nic. “Babiš understands that Viktor Orbán may not have a new mandate. He doesn’t want to end like up him without European funds and subsidies and in open clash with the European Commission.”
Why now: Nearly a month after Babiš won the Czech election, a new parliament sits for the first time today. The parties in his coalition will sign off on the government program. Then comes a period of wrangling as Babiš is expected to try to install Filip Turek, the controversial honorary president of the Motorists’ Party, as foreign minister — a move President Petr Pavel may oppose, per an EU diplomat.
Another salient point in Babiš’ program is that he intends to personally oversee EU policy — abolishing the role of minister for European affairs and placing responsibility for EU matters in a department “subordinate to him” inside the prime minister’s office, which will “closely cooperate with the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic in the EU … linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Staying in the EU: Despite the future coalition partners’ Euroskepticism, the program rules out any referendum on membership in the EU or NATO — but it also does away with a law against foreign interference. (Czechia has previously been a spearhead for efforts to fight foreign interference in the EU.)
On Ukraine, the program merely says Prague will “support diplomatic steps leading to an end to the war in Ukraine and elimination of war risks in Europe.”
The bottom line: Brussels is about to get reacquainted with Babiš — a Donald Trump-like figure who’s more likely to follow his gut than any ideological or party loyalty. What that means for Brussels exactly remains to be seen but, per Nic, he will become a “problem very soon” because he will need to show that he is “fighting Brussels.”
ENLARGEMENT WEEK
MONTENEGRO, ALBANIA IN FOCUS AS EU READIES ENLARGEMENT REPORT: Get ready for a week of EU boosterism as Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos prepares to unveil this year’s enlargement progress reports on Tuesday, highlighting Albania and Montenegro as being furthest along the path to joining the 27-member bloc, per her recent remarks and conversations with EU officials.
Our one big tool: Kos will will present enlargement as a key geopolitical tool for the EU to show it’s “actually responding to challenges we face all around Europe,” she recently told a group of journalists in Brussels. The process of helping countries along the path to EU membership is how Brussels can “push back against those forces that would like to destabilize us.”
Dream a little: The report will also be a chance for top Commission officials to wax lyrical about the prospect of a “unified Europe” — a rare flight of fancy in these cynical times — after Kos crowed that enlargement could lead “for the first time in history” to a European Union encompassing all the countries on the landmass, per those same remarks.
Do expect: Praise for Montenegro and Albania, two countries whose combined population is just over 3 million. Tiny Montenegro (population 600,000) is furthest along, eying potential membership in the bloc by 2027. There are whispers of an accession treaty soon being drawn up, which could be a chance for the Commission to showcase different ways of reassuring member countries about the risks of welcoming new members to the bloc — for example by putting certain key voting rights, like a foreign policy veto, on hold for a given “probation period.” (Catch up on a scoop by Hans von der Burchard and yours truly here).
Key phrase: “In this new generation of accession treaties, the principle is transition periods,” Kos said.
The inside angle: By depriving new countries of certain voting rights for a given period, pro-enlargement Commission President Ursula von der Leyen aims to assuage concerns that new accession rounds could bring veto-happy Orbán copycats into the EU Council, further messing up the bloc’s ability to take any decisions.
Also expect: Warm words of encouragement for Ukraine and Moldova, whose accession bids are politically linked but currently held up by Hungary’s refusal to allow the opening of negotiation clusters for Kyiv. “Ukrainians are doing impressive work … In Moldova, it was the credibility of the EU offer that helped fend off Russia,” Kos told French lawmakers was last week, referring to the recent election won by pro-EU forces.
In the other corner: Far less effusive will be Kos’ updates on candidates Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina and North Macedonia — with the toughest words reserved for Belgrade (more on that shortly). “We can no longer have candidates hide behind ambiguous positions,” Kos told the French lawmakers, echoing von der Leyen who urged Serbia to “redouble” efforts to join the EU during a recent trip to Belgrade.
No pre-enlargement report: Kos was also expected to present a “pre-enlargement report” laying out reforms that the EU needs to undertake to prepare for its next round of expansion, but per an EU diplomat that’s now likely to be delayed for at least a few weeks to Nov. 19.
Between the lines: For von der Leyen and Kos, enlargement is one of the most powerful geopolitical tools at their disposal. They’re acutely aware that for Ukraine and Moldova, the prospect of EU membership is a dam holding back Russian influence from overtaking the countries’ political classes. So they are determined to keep enlargement high on the agenda — if need be with caveats such as “phased” accession which would grant admission in stages.
The view from Council is different. “The sense that we had two years ago, that all of a sudden there could be eight to nine countries joining in a short timeframe, it’s sort of waned,” said the same diplomat. “This is the dilemma the Commission keeps facing: they want to create the carrot for the candidate countries. On the other side, the member states are quite hawkish to only let members in the club if they are really ready for it.”
NIMBYism: Another oddity of accession is that of the most skeptical countries are those that share borders with potential new members.
In other words: However bullish the Commission needs to sound on enlargement, skeptics in the Council feel in no hurry at all to widen the EU’s club beyond its 27 members. And if the slow pace breeds frustration and room for Russian interference — so be it.
SPEAKING OF SERBIA: This weekend saw another round of pro-democracy protests as tens of thousands gathered on Saturday to honor the victims of a roof collapse at Novi Sad’s train station that killed 16 people, Jakob Weizman reports. According to Srđan Majstorović, a former accession negotiator for Belgrade who’s currently chair of the governing board of the European Policy Centre, the EU’s upcoming report will raise “issues with serious backsliding.”
Bracing for the worst: “I’m expecting there will be a lot of negatives, that this will be the most unfavorable report written since the start of Serbia’s accession negotiations in 2014,” Majstorović said. “Unfortunately we are struggling with the biggest success of the [Aleksandar] Vučić reign, which is distrust.”
MIGRATION
BERLIN PRESSES FOR SYRIAN MIGRANT RETURNS: Germany’s conservative-led government is laser-focused on expelling Syrian migrants, with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul raising the issue during a meeting on Thursday and Chancellor Friedrich Merz discussing it with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Csongor Körömi writes in to report.
Too soon: Hannah Neumann, a German Greens MEP and member of the European Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee, says Berlin is going too far, too fast. “There is no long-term stability, which is necessary for possibly sending people back,” she told Csongor. Seven million people remain internally displaced; 1 million have returned in the last year from refugee camps in Lebanon and Turkey. “But they see that there’s nothing to return to,” she added. “There’s no infrastructure or schools in several cities.”
Send help, not migrants: Syrian officials told Neumann they would prefer Europe to support internally displaced people rather than increase their number. “When we start sending Syrian refugees back now, there is a big risk that the whole fragile system will collapse,” Neumann said.
VALENCIA FLOOD FALLOUT
TIME TO GO? A year after 229 people died in devastating floods in Valencia, Spain’s center-right People’s Party (PP) is struggling to keep its hold on the region, Aitor Hernandez-Morales writes in to report.
Public scorn: The PP is under fire following reports that Valencia’s conservative government downplayed the threat of floods. Regional President Carlos Mazón was shown to have failed to take charge of the emergency for hours. While PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo has backed Mazón for the past year, he is now looking for a replacement following a state funeral for the victims at which families accused the regional president of being an “assassin,” demanding he step down.
Difficult calculation: Valencia was a key prize for the PP during regional elections in 2023. PP leadership is now convinced Mazón cannot be on the ticket when voters head back to the polls in 2027. A top contender to replace him is 38-year-old provincial leader and rising center-right politician Vicente Mompó, though he can’t take the job immediately because he isn’t a member of the local parliament. Valencia Mayor María José Catalá may be tapped as a caretaker president in the meantime.
IN OTHER NEWS
CAN ZOHRAN MAMDANI FIX WHAT’S AILING EUROPE’S LEFT? Europe’s left-wingers are closely watching the rise of Zohran Mamdani, who is on course to win New York’s mayoral race on Tuesday. France Unbowed’s Manon Aubry and Maximilian Schirmer, co-chair of The Left’s Berlin branch, are among a group of lawmakers who have made the pilgrimage to NYC to witness and learn from the Zohran phenomenon.
NY state of mind: As Victor Goury-Laffont, Nette Nöstlinger and Martin Alfonsin Larsen report in this piece out today, Mamdani’s rise is of serious interest for European left-wing parties that have struggled to beat back a surge in support for conservative forces. His blend of youthful aplomb (he’s 34), activism on Israel and Gaza and focus on regular voters’ desire for cheaper housing may well hold the key for the left’s comeback, the visitors reason.
RUSSIAN ASSETS LATEST: Belgium’s refusal to back a multibillion-euro EU loan to Ukraine could prompt the International Monetary Fund to block financial support for Kyiv, report Gregorio Sorgi and Bjarke Smith-Meyer.
U.S. THREATS: American negotiators threatened their European counterparts during a brutal negotiation over green shipping rules last month, telling them both they and their countries could be punished unless they voted with the U.S., Commission officials told POLITICO.
RULE OF LAW COMMISSIONER TO TALK TEMU IN CHINA: Commissioner Michael McGrath heads to Beijing this week for a string of meetings focused on product safety, including a meeting with Temu President Qin Sun on Friday in Shanghai. “When an online shopper in Europe clicks ‘buy,’ they not only deserve — but are legally entitled — to the assurance that the product they purchase meets the same safety and quality standards, whether it comes from Brussels or Beijing or anywhere else,” he said in remarks shared with Playbook. “As part of my mission to China this week, I will raise these issues with ministers, public authorities, and business leaders.”